Midorima's POV
Kōki is anxious the entire afternoon, but there is only so much I can do for him. I'd leave him to Kazu, but he is swamped with the members of the Point Guard Poker Players who have followed us from the airport.
The 'Welcome Akira' banner has traveled with us as well, and we may have to mail it home as it is Akira's favorite new thing. The princess is currently being entertained by her grandparents and aunt, and that leaves Kōki and me as the odd men out.
I show him my father's koi, knowing that Seijūrō bought him a school of the fish for their first anniversary. I hope the familiar will calm him, although I have a host of grounding techniques I can try on him, if he cooperates. He's too distracted to do anything but notice them vaguely.
"Would you like a tranquilizer?" I offer, shaking one out of my key fob and holding it out to him.
"What?" he asks, looking around. "Oh, no, I don't think so. I've got to be ready if Jiro needs me."
"A game of Shogi then?"
"I… I don't know how; it's his favorite game and I can't even play it, is that bad?" he asks, looking away.
"Kazu teaches English, yet I embarrass myself everytime I open my mouth," I tell him, smirking. "That's probably worse, but I can teach you to play Shogi. Come, losing will take your mind off other matters."
Dinner is better; we all come back together and Kōki has dozens of people to talk to — or not, as Mitobe is silent, but pleasant company. He doesn't have to say a word; everyone understands him nonetheless.
I've never been fond of Imayoshi, despite Kazu's insistence that he's a 'good guy,' because he reminds me too much of the bullies from my past. If he would just open his damn eyes, maybe it would be different. I'm pleasantly surprised by how much he's grown since his visit to New York six years ago. Now Imayoshi-sensei, and a partner at a respectable psychological counseling center in Osaka, he and Mitobe are finally able to ease some of Kōki distress for the first time since Seijūrō sudden disappearance from the airport.
"Ya'll will be needin' somewhere ta stable the horse until ya can make arrangements ta ship him overseas," Imayoshi drawls. "My daddy knows some people, being in the horse business himself, let me make the arrangements for ya. Hell, I bet his contacts can get the old boy all the way back ta Cali as well."
"Oh, I…" Kōki hesitates.
"It's alright, Furihata, I know Akashi doesn't like me much. We had a rather… terse conversation once and we got off on the wrong foot, is all. I'm aware, most people don't like me, so it's nothin' that offends me, but perhaps this'll change his mind about me, just a little."
"Take the help, Kōki, my brother won't steer you wrong," Kazu reassures.
"Brother?"
"'Nuture gives me brother-friends, where nature gave me none'," Kazu quotes the poem that is framed above his desk alongside a photograph of the four of them as a constant reminder that he has an extending cheering section as well as our small family.
"Thank you, Imayoshi-sensei," Kōki answers, finally, nodding his head nervously.
"Not a problem, but call me Imayoshi, everyone does, except for Rin." He hooks a finger in Mitobe's direction. "He calls me Shoichi."
"How can you tell?" I blurt out. One of the uglier voices in my head tells me how stupid and careless I am. My cheeks flush red as it berates me. "Don't you use your nicknames?" My eyes go wide as I realize I'm not supposed to acknowledge I know they have nicknames. Kasamatsu and Mitobe exchange an amused look at my expense.
"Well, mostly we still use our nicknames only in private, but around other people we always use our names," Kazu tells me. He sees my panic and has pity on me; when he takes my hand and squeezes it, the contact calms my heart. Akira knows I'm upset and she climbs off my mother's lap and into mine. She sleepily sucks her thumb and falls asleep before the first course is served.
Our old bedroom looks much the same; the futon is new and the sheets are a welcoming bright yellow. Kōki is next store in Kaori's old room and hopefully he won't have many nights alone. Seijūrō's plan is just about to reach its deadline; we can only implore the gods that it will all fall together. As far as strategy goes, I would put no one on par with Seijūrō, but this is a convoluted knot, inside a rat's nest. It's either brilliant or delusional and only time will tell.
Akira doesn't even stir when I lay her in the middle of the futon. She's as limp as a damp towel, and as helpful as I try to change her for bed.
"Stop, it's futile," Kazu says, yawning the words. "Just leave her in those clothes, it won't do any harm. Just give her the bunny and we'll all make it through the night." The toy is still in her backpack, but it is easily accessible now that all of the snacks are gone.
Kazu pulls open the door leading to the garden and walks outside in his bare feet. It seems so long ago that we'd first been in this place together on a night very much like this one to celebrate my father's sixty-first birthday party. There are no tears tonight — at least not from us — and no shadowed confessions, just two older married men who are more in love than before.
I wrap my arms around Kazu and he leans back into me, his head slotting under my chin as neatly as ever.
"Do you ever miss Japan, sometimes?" he asks.
"Occasionally, if my English was better…" We both laugh. " I wish my parents were closer, but otherwise it makes no difference to me where we are. Do you want to come back?"
"Not really. I like our life in New York — it's our life, it doesn't belong back here with all the old memories. But sometimes I miss the quiet."
"We'll make more time for it then. After all, our investment in the Onsen will give us more options."
His hands curl up and tighten on my forearms, pulling us even closer.
"Have you heard back from the committee?" I ask, when he continues to be silent.
"Yes!" He looks upward at me. "I snuck away earlier and they've accepted my thesis with only minor revisions to chapter three."
"That's wonderful. Your new deadline?"
"October first!" He turns in my arms and squeezes me hard.
"The same day as your defense?"
"Exactly! It's the best-case scenario my mentor told me about."
"And after that, which school will you pick for your Doctorate?"
"Well, I've got it narrowed down to two, University of Washington or,... Wait, how did you know?"
"How could I not? I know you very well and Midorima-sensei has a wonderful ring to it. If you want to teach full time you'll need… What was it you called the degree?"
"Terminal. Sorry, I guess we should have talked about this earlier. There's money to budget and — "
I lean down, silencing him with a drawn out kiss that leaves me a bit dizzy.
"We have fifteen years to save for Akira's college. Use all the money you've earned and saved from modeling. This is your dream, Kazu; prove her wrong. Be everything she said you couldn't be and more."
He hangs off me, more than a little dizzy himself and smiles.